Shanghai Disneyland is the most recent of the Disneyland theme parks, located inside the Disney Resort in Pudong New Area. It was opened on June 16th, 2016 and covers a construction area of 116 hectares.

If you are a tourist in a culturally rich ancient country like China, Disneyland may seem an incongruous sightseeing choice, unless you or your children enjoy theme parks. In that case, Shanghai Disneyland has its own unique rides worth a try, and themed lands that showcase Disney stories and characters in a uniquely Chinese way – such as Mickey-shaped dim sums, and movie figures with Chinese elements in the Chinese Zodiac Murals in the Gardens of Imagination.

Attractions at Shanghai Disneyland

Shanghai Disneyland Resort, like other Disney Resorts around the world, features a flagship Disneyland Park, and attractions and facilities including a lake, parades, fireworks, entertainment, dining, shopping, and parking and transportation hubs.  

The resort has two themed hotels, The Shanghai Disneyland Hotel and The Toy Story Hotel, for visitors who wish to stay for longer. The Disneytown area is an open-for-free entertainment district with retail shopping, entertainment, and recreational facilities. Besides this there are Chinese and Western restaurants and shops all around the park.

At the Walt Disney Grand Theater, you can enjoy shows like the Lion King Performance; there are several other large-scale performance venues across the park. There are many social-media attractions such as the Alice in Wonderland Maze, seem designed for Insta-moments and selfies in the Gardens of Imagination

The park wraps up its daily activities with a spectacular firework display every night at 20:30.  

7 Theme Parks Inside Shanghai Disneyland

1. Mickey Avenue: the entrance of the park with souvenir shops and restaurants, where Mickey Mouse and his friends walk around the streets to welcome visitors, hug them, and take photos with them.  
2. Gardens of Imagination: the first garden-designed Disney park in the world, with bridges and paths connecting the seven themed areas.
3. Adventure Isle: is for adventure lovers, featuring attractions such as the Roaring Rapids ride, a hang-gliding experience, and Camp Discovery.
4. Treasure Cove: the first pirate-themed Disney park in the world including two giant pirate ships, a pirate restaurant, and a water-play zone. 
5. Tomorrowland: uses high-tech to create elaborate settings of science fiction movies.
6. Fantasyland: the largest park in Shanghai Disney Resort. The Enchanted Storybook Castle, the tallest, largest, and most interactive Disney castle in the world is located here, falling in the center of the park.
7. Toy Story Land:  The Toy Story franchise-themed land, where you can be pulled around by a toy pony in a western-style cart.  

Top 10 Rides at Shanghai Disneyland

1. Pirates of the Caribbean: Battle for the Sunken Treasure
2. Camp Discovery – Challenge Trails
3. Peter Pan’s Flight
4. TRON Lightcycle Power Run
5. Soaring Over the Horizon
6. Eye of the Storm: Captain Jack’s Stunt Spectacular
7. Buzz Lightyear’s Planet Rescue
8. Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
9. Roaring Rapids
10. Jet Packs

Things to Know Before Visiting Shanghai Disneyland

• Shanghai Disneyland has a peak/off-peak pricing model, so weekend, Chinese New Year (February), and National Day (October) holiday tickets are more expensive. Many Chinese tourists prefer the lower prices, so weekdays can sometimes be busier than weekends. However, the peak season is Chinese New Year and National Day holidays. 
• Summer (June – September) and Winter (December – February) temperatures are too extreme for outdoor entertainment, so the best time to visit is spring and autumn.
• You need only one ticket for all of Shanghai Disneyland’s seven theme parks.
• Children under 1 meter or aged below 3 enter and accompanied by an adult with a ticket can enter for free.
• If you are coming by the metro line that gets off at Disneyland Park Station, buy your return ticket from before to avoid the long queues later in the evening.
• Check the official website before visiting for any ride and park facilities’ closure due to weather conditions or maintenance work.
• Install the Shanghai Disneyland app to make the most of your time at the park, for facilities such as FastPasses (Fastpasses can only be obtained onsite on the visiting day), up-to-date wait times, booking tickets to attractions, ride closures, and show timings.
• For ease of communication, e.g for using wifi, use a local SIM.
• Most of the food kiosks do not accept credit cards, so keep cash.
• Single-rider lines have shorter queues.
• There are drinking water fountains all over the park.
• Visitors older than 16 years may not wear any character costumes.  
• Selfie sticks, large tripods, folding chairs, oversize luggage, and animals (except guide dogs) are not allowed inside the park.

Recommended Hotels Near Shanghai Disneyland

Location

Getting to Shanghai Disneyland

By Metro
Take metro line 11 and get off at Disneyland Park Station. Go out via Exit 1, and then walk for about 5 minutes to the park. It’s advised to buy a return ticket upon arrival at the subway station to avoid the long queue in the evening.
By Bus
Take bus line Pudong 50, Pudong 51 or Pudong 52 and get off at South Public Transit Hub. Then walk for about one mile (1.6 km) to the park or transfer to shuttle bus 2 or 3 in the resort.